Is the Camioncyclette a bike with too many baskets attached, or is it just a giant, ride-able shopping-cart? According to designer Christophe Machet, it's in fact a "transportation bicycle", and can carry up to 330 pounds in those wiry receptacles.

What I like most about the Camioncyclette is that it is dead simple. So many bicycle redesigns try to get fancy, dickering with a shape that is already almost perfect, in practical terms at least. Machet's bike is just a bike with storage added anywhere it would fit, and is even strong enough to fit a person in the back, if they can stand the uncomfortable ride. No superfluous carbon-fiber, no integrated seat-tubes, no hub-less crap.

The wheels are small, which gives more space for cargo and also makes it easier to get moving and to maneuver. The bike uses disk-brakes so you can stop however loaded-up you are, and it appears to be a single-speed or use internal hub-gears, again keeping things simple. Finally, a proper two-legged stand in the center means you can actually load and unload the thing without it toppling over.

In fact, the only concession to fanciness is the Brooks saddle, although anyone who has one knows that a Brooks is in fact about the most practical and long-lasting (and comfortable) seat you can buy.

Machet's design is, right now, not in stores. A shame, because it looks to be cheap and ugly enough to be very, very practical.